good morning, america, on this friday, november 13th. a deadly nor'easter floods the east, from north carolina, to new jersey. and it's not over yet. we're live in the places hardest hit. sarah palin goes rogue. she lets loose on everything, from that $150,000 makeover, to the interview that she couldn't shake the entire campaign. >> because i knew it wasn't a good interview. photo flap. a man is charged with trying to blackmail supermodel cindy crawford. at dispute, a photo of her young daughter, tied to a chair. guilty plea. the parents of the infamous

balloon boy, set to make a plea deal. will they see jail time? and the end is near? we travel deep into the mexican jungle to find out if the 2012 legend is real. or just a lot of hollywood magic. and good morning, everyone. i'm robin roberts, here with chris cuomo, as diane sawyer has the morning off. and this nor'easter, it's the remains of hurricane ida. it's now stronger than it was when the storm first landed in alabama on tuesday morning. >> doesn't have to be hurricane to be dangerous. 55-mile-per-hour wind gusts, half a foot of rain in some places. in fact, the flooding's so bad, governors from virginia to new jersey, are declaring states of emergency. we're going to monitor the situation. sam is out there for us, doing exactly that. good morning, sam. what do we know? >> good morning, chris. let's start with a picture of the nor'easter. we have team coverage.

we're going to get every inch of it. but the satellite radar and composite. we want to show you the rain bands, as powerful as it is, that are pushing on the shoreline. it's about 2 1/2 days now. it does weaken as we go through the day today. some of the worst flooding in history. the highest tides at the chesapeake bay. more than ten inches of rain in norfolk, virginia. it's been pounding the mid-atlantic for 2 1/2 days now. we begin our coverage with david kerley at rehoboth beach. david? >> reporter: good morning, sam. this has been a powerful storm. we're at rehoboth beach. this was the walkway down to the beach. you can see how much has been hacked away from erosion of the storm, as it continues to move its way up north. this is really a true nor'easter. from new jersey, to north carolina, residents just can't seem to escape this unrelenting nor'easter storm. with its wicked winds, pounding surf, and violent rain. >> it's pretty bad. this is the worst i've seen in a

long time. >> reporter: the storm, formed from the remnants of ida, struck with more power than the tropical storm, dumping a foot of rain. and leaving up to four feet of water on some virginia roads. rescue crews have been out in force, helping stranded residents evacuate. >> woke up. looked out my side mirror in my bedroom. and there was water flooded everywhere around my house. like a lake. >> reporter: heavy rains, and wind gusts up to 75 miles per hour, caused nearly 150 car accidents in virginia. and those hurricane-strength gusts toppled power lines and trees. leaving one man dead in north carolina. and others with very close calls. this tree just missed 13-year-old paris diaz and his grandmother, when it slammed through their roof. >> the whole house was shaking. >> reporter: the storm churned surf as far north as new york, where a surfer drowned in the rough waters. >> this storm got some of its energy from the weakening ida. the storm winds are pushing from

the atlantic ocean into the beaches. we're getting a lot of beach erosion, a lot of coastal flooding. >> reporter: so much so, that tidal surges in virginia have topped seven feet, rivalling the 2003 record set by the deadly hurricane, isabel. and a lot of people remember that. and the flood watches remain in effect through tomorrow because all this surf is coming in and pushing water inland. but it's just not on land. there's problems out in the atlantic. three fishermen are missing. stephanie sy with more on that up in new jersey. stephanie? >> reporter: good morning, david. we're up here at cape may. you can see how big the sea has swollen. waves are cresting at 19 feet. you can see how far the water is coming in. and we're three hours out of high tide. wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour. this area remains under a state of emergency. and as you said, david, this morning, the very tight-knit commercial fishermen in cape may

are in port. and they are mourning the loss of three of their own. this morning, the search for three, missing fishermen has come to a halt. a day after the commercial fishing boat sank off the coast of cape may. kenneth rose junior. his 75-year-old father, and crew member, larry forest, are presumed dead. kenny rhodes was just a mile away when the storm hit. >> it was literally wicked. i was in 20-foot seas when it shouldn't have been. >> reporter: rhodeses made it in. but "the sea tractor" never did. he believes the pressure to catch enough fish was left them out in the storm. >> i loved him like a brother. >> reporter: and back here at cape may, the coast guard has simply said it is too treacherous for them to resume the search. but kenneth rose sr. there, described as a great fisherman. a salty dog, as they say. back to you. >> stephanie, david.

we have better, encouraging news on this storm, that is that it breaks up as we go through the day. shifting to the atlantic. let's show you the wind field of what happens with this. winds will be a big player. not the 75-mile-per-hour winds we saw on virginia beach yesterday. it's 40-mile-per-hour to 50-mile-per-hour winds along the coast. and the better news about the rain. the heaviest rain has pulled out of the virginia area. we're looking at an additional inch along the coastline. there is some rain that spreads up to boston. we'll have all of america's weather, coming up in just a moment. chris? robin? >> all right, sam. back to you for that in a bit. now, to former vice presidential candidate, sarah palin, and her much-anticipated memoir, written in just months. we're learning more about the book. and it seems she's living up to her description of herself, as the pit bull, taking shots at the media and the mccain campaign. our weekend anchor, kate snow,

has that. >> reporter: 413 pages, the book. it doesn't come out until tuesday. but it's been at the or near the top of amazon for weeks. what's in the book? the associated press has obtained a copy. and they say palin reveals juicy details of what we speculated before. that the palin and mccain camps were often at odds. she makes clear her disdain for person political aides. and, of course, the media. last year, she had a campaign bus. this year, the bus will be wrapped with the front cover of her new book, "going rogue." >> listen up, everybody. i'm going rogue right now. >> reporter: it's payback time. according to the a.p., palin writes about jaded campaign aides that kept her bottled up, away from reporters. and later charged her 50 grand for what it cost to vet her as a vice presidential candidate. she wondered who was footing the bill for the fancy clothes they bought for her at the convention. and she didn't like the way the campaign revealed her teenage daughter was expecting. thought their statement

glamourized and endorsed the pregnancy. and the father of that baby. palin never mentioned levi johnston in the book. but she seems to tell oprah he is become at the thanksgiving table. >> of course, he is a part of the family. he needs to know that he is loved. and he has the most beautiful child. and this can all work out for good. it really can. we don't have to keep going down this road of controversy and drama. >> reporter: the last time palin talked with reporters at length, she'd gone fishing, after deciding to resign as alaska governor. in the book, palin focuses on another interview with cbs anchor, katie couric, who she calls biased and badgering. >> let's talk about the interview with katie couric. >> must we? >> yeah. >> did you think that was a seminal, defining moment for you? >> i did not. and neither did the campaign. that is why segment two and three and four and maybe five were scheduled. the campaign said, right on. good.

you're showing your independence. this is what america needs to see. and it was a good interview. and, of course, i'm thinking, if you thought that was a good interview, i don't know what a bad interview was because i knew it wasn't a good interview. >> reporter: this time, palin is in control. her book tour will crisscross the heartland, avoiding major cities. and hitting lots of battlegrounds. maybe that's a coincidence. or maybe this is a great way to launch a political comeback. remember the "the audacity of hope"? >> let's find out what george has to say about that. and joining us from washington, with "the bottom line," our chief washington correspondent, and host of "this week," george stephanopoulos. >> good morning. >> good morning, george. we have a better idea of what's in this book. is there any political fallout? >> we've seen immediate political fallout. that's fighting with more of mccain. campaign aides are taking charges. nicolle wallace, the campaign

aide, convinced palin to do the katie couric interview. saying couric is a working mom with a self-esteem problem. one aide says, who ever heard of a network ank we're a self-esteem problem. more seriously, the charge that the mccain campaign charged palin $50,000 for her own background check. aides flatly deny. they acknowledge that about $50,000 in legal bills were built up because of investigations that began after the campaign. and that palin tried to get some reimbursements for that. by the time it came to a head, she didn't need them because private funders had stepped in to fill the gap. >> let me ask you this, george. does sarah palin look like someone to you who is planning to run for president in 2012? or someone who has scores to settle? or both? >> it's hard to know right now. but there's no question that this book tour can put her in a position to run. i was thinking back to 1995, colin powell's "my american journey." this was a year before the presidential campaign. he went across the country.

sold millions of books. put himself in a position to run. ultimately decided not to in the end. i think for sarah palin, she comes into this book tour with a majority of americans still not taking her seriously. as a presidential candidate. and just about 50% have an unfavorable view of her. so, if she wants to put herself in a position to run, she's got to do two things. one, soften up her public image. humanize herself again. reintroduce herself to the public. two, harden up her political positions. go beyond the cultural wars and really reach out to independence with specific answers on issues like the economy, jobs, and health care. i think if she does that, then whether or not she runs will really be her choice. she'll be in a position to do it. >> as always, independents so key. we heard kate. and she takes shot at the media. but also at the mccain campaign. but within the republican party, how does this play out? this cannot be helpful? >> i think this has been pretty much background noise.

i think most republican party is not too interested in the past. they want to know what sarah palin's answers are for the future. that's where the real test is going to come. >> yes, that's right. all right, george. have a good weekend. we'll see you on sunday on "this week." that's coming up sunday with george. and next week, sarah palin -- accused of masterminding. >> the attacks will be brought to new york. to face trial in a civilian federal court. along with four other detainees, currently held at guantanamo bay. they could be transferred been 45 days. meantime, other terrorism suspects will face a military tribunal. the u.s. military is planning to seek the death penalty for major nidal hasan.

that's according to "the wall street journal" this morning. hasan faces 13 counts of premeditated murder. the last military execution was back in 1961. locking overseas, the taliban is claiming responsibility for a bold attack on american troops. this time, outside camp phoenix. the suicide bomber struck a convoy, wounding at least 20 people. there was a far more startling and devastating attack in neighboring pakistan this morning. a bomber targeting pakistan's equivalent of the cia, destroying its regional headquarters in peshawar and killing ten people. president obama is in japan this morning, kicking off a four-nation tour of asia. issues on the table include everything from afghanistan, to north korea's nuclear program. our jake tapper is with the president. >> reporter: good morning. or here in japan, good evening. we're 14 hours ahead of you. and president obama spent the night on air force one, touching down here in tokyo. and immediately meeting with the new prime minister, katayama.

first on the agenda, thanking japan for a -- the global economy. the u.s. and japan are the world's two largest economies. and north korea and nuclear nonproliferation. that's an emotional issue here. the only country to have ever experienced the devastating affects of a nuclear attack. they are not expected to find common ground on a controversial, new plan for the u.s. to relocate a military base in okinawa. bianna? >> jake tapper, thank you. we're ending the broadcast with a disturbing story. former supermodel cindy crawford and her husband are at the center of a disturbing extortion plot. a german man has been charged with trying to blackmail the couple for $100,000 over a photo of their 7-year-old daughter, bound and gagged to a chair. the man allegedly got the picture from cindy crawford's nanny.

it seems that the nanny was playing a game of cops and robbers. >> something like this, it's good they took it head-on. now, the man trying to come after them, is the one taking the heat. we know this flood is going to happen all over the east coast. sam's been monitoring it for us. let's get a check of the weather now. sam? >> good morning, chris. good morning, robin. we talked about the fact that the nor'easter will break up. we have a history of "gma" to show you the biggest things in the planet. we're in florida to do that. let's begin with the weather maps. we begin with the northwest. a series of storms will move through the northwest. it will bring mountain snow, in washington, oregon, wyoming. and more this weekend. cooler temperatures in seattle. that goes all the way to l.a. with 69 degrees with the cold air. then, elsewhere, we'll show you the midwest and the southern plains, where the warm air is. dallas at 74. kansas city at 64 degrees. a quick look at friday's

outlook, will show you that nor'easter does start to move east and weakens its grip on the atlantic shoreline. that's very good news.

and we will have more weather this morning from the coast of florida. chris, you can consider what we are going to show you, traveling with your own empire state building. >> okay, sam. that makes a lot of sense to all of us. appreciate it. easy enough. moving on. all right, now, we know the president's in asia. before heading there, president obama announced he's going to hold a job summit to tackle the country's unemployment problem. and the current numbers do look bleak. unemployment went up to 10.2% in october. a loss of 190,000 jobs. big, scary numbers. but what do they really mean to us? and what can be done at the job summit to help? for answers, we bring in "gma" contributor, mellody hobson. always good to have you. you say you look at the number. but it's not about the number,

but the trend. >> right. this is a situation where less bad is good. we remember a year ago, we were in the middle of a full-blown financial crisis. and from november 2008 through april of this year, we saw 650,000 jobs lost a month. now, the good news is, the tide started to turn in april. and those numbers dropped to about 350,000 jobs lost a month. now, since july, we're looking at about 188,000 jobs lost a month. no one wants job losses. we want job gains. but we've seen a trend that is favorable. and it looks like this recovery is a real thing. >> okay. less bad is good. looking at unemployment. you have to think about underemployment. what does that mean? >> underemployment is, the people looking for a job, people who want a full-time job, but have settled for a part-time job. and people are so discouraged they've given up. we hear about the number of 10.2%. that's 15 million people. the underemployment number, called the u-6, is actually

17.5%. that's 27 million people. that's a big number. that's what this administration is getting after. >> and so comes the job summit. what's the best-case scenario? >> best-case scenario. they plan to bring in everyone. academics, union leaders, corporate executives, small business owners, to say we need to solve this problem. and we have to figure out a way to get at this issue right away, so we do not have a jobless recovery. so, right now, jobs are job one for this administration. that's exactly the right thing. so, the best thing that will come out of it are actually real plans. some jobs programs, that will get people to work, beyond the jobs that were retained through the stimulus program, where we had about 1 million jobs either saved or added over the last year. >> you mentioned small business. we keep hearing from small business owners. they say, no one's helping us. we need representation. they only take care of the big guys. is that going to change, you think? >> i think the job summit will

get at that. this administration seems to understand, small business owners are where the action is, when it comes to jobs. people talk about big companies. but it's the local dry cleaner. the local pizza parlor. those are the people who employ tens of millions of people in this country. to the extent these businesses are safe and secure, they will add jobs. and that will be a very good thing. >> good news to a lot of americans, for sure. you're going to stay with us because later in the show, you'll talk about the holidays coming up. what it means for the economy and discounts we can find. >> that's right. also, still to come, we have the parents in the runaway balloon saga, set to make a guilty plea. but will they go to jail? and "gma" gets answers for a man who lost his insurance. was it really because he was caught on tape, eating chips? chris gets to the bottom of that. ( ding, cheering, ringing ) keeping you full and focused with more than double the fiber and whole grain...

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flooding. we have watches and warnings. the advisories are in the blue, the warnings are in the green. be aware of that. the tides could be two to three feet on the western side of the bay above normal today. satellite and radar composite shows the remnants of that storm just starting to kind of move out of here a little bit and just spreading a bit of light rain over top of us. we are looking at gray, cloudy conditions throughout most of the day. temperatures right now are at 51 degrees and that is where they will stay for the rest of the day. be aware of that. it will be on the chilly side. let's check out the roads with kim. >> the wind is playing a part in our traffic this morning. there are wind warnings in effect at the local bridges but easy on the top side of the beltway, we have heavy traffic stretching between har ford to providence. give yourself extra time. things are smoothly on the west side between 795 and route 70 interchange. we have a couple of crashes to let you know about, northbound bw parkway on ram top 695.

that crash blocks the right two lanes. in harvard county, route 7 at clayton is closed in both directions. try using route 40 or 95. traffic looks great as you make your way southbound heading to downtown.

in the news, developing story this morning. baltimore city police arrested a man accused of murdering a 15- year-old boy whose body was found hidden in a closet in east baltimore. officers took in dante parish. they found him at a 7-eleven. police have been searching for parish in connection with the death of jason madison junior. the mayor will be back in court this morning. the first witness expected to take the stand is a man who allegedly bought gift cards that are in question. jurors will hear from randall finney. he works for doracon contracting, a construction

owned by the mayor's ex- boyfriend. they say he bought gift cards on lipscomb's behalf then delivered them to an aide. prosecutors showed the jury receipts from purchases made by the mayor using the gift cards intended for poor families. they argued the mayor used the gift card because he thought they were meant as gifts. >> we said what we thought during the opening statement and i'm sure everyone was listening. >> the judge released a list of 72 potential witnesses. some are big names including congressman elijah cummings. of course stay with abc 2 for the latest on the mayor's trial. remember, you can get updates 24-7 online waiting for you on abc 2 news.com. national recognition for the university of maryland at baltimore county time to northern one of his leaders,

free man roboski named one of the 10 best college presidents. unbc president says it's great for the campus. he jumped out and is creating a big opportunity. congratulations to free ma'am roboski. we will have another update in about 25 minutes. stay close. more of good morning america now at 7:30.

li live pictures along the east coast. strong nor'easter is causing nearly 20-foot waves, 55-mile-per-hour wind gusts, dumping half a foot of rain. states of emergency have been declared up and down the coast. our sam is out there tracking the storm and will have the latest for us. we say good morning, america. tgif. i'm robin roberts with chris cuomo. diane has the morning off. you're going to meet a man who lost his disability benefits. the insurance company says they have videotape to prove he doesn't need them. it's a common practice. the company says it cuts down on fraud. we'll take you through on what

the pictures show and don't show. >> we need answers for this. here's a question we need an answer to. is the world going to end in just three years? don't be hysterical. it's the premise of a new movie. some people believe it's rooted in reality. we're going to go deep in the mexican jungle to see where this comes from. this half hour, we begin with the plea deal in the balloon boy hoax that captivated and angered the nation. the parents who said their young son floated away in a runaway balloon, are going to plead guilty today for lying to authorities. lisa fletcher has more in ft. collins, colorado. good morning, lisa. >> reporter: good morning, robin. these pleas are part of a plea deal with the prosecutor's office. without it, the charge against richard heene carried a six-year prison term and a $500,000 fine. that said, both the heenes may still face jail time. the heenes will plead guilty this morning to charges related to the most-famous hoax in recent memory. as part of the plea deal,

mayumi, a japanese citizen, won't be deported. in an aft, mayumi heene admitted she told her children to lie to authorities and to the media. >> a search is under way for a 6-year-old boy who may or may not have climbed into a homemade helium balloon. >> reporter: it's an image that captivated the country. transfixed and terrified that a 6-year-old boy was sailing across the sky out of control, in an experimental weather balloon. parents called police. and it set in motion an exhaustive search by land and sky. even a military blackhawk helicopter deployed. all at a cost of $55,000. when the balloon was finally grounded, no boy. hours later, the 6-year-old emerged. saying he had been playing in the attic. parents exhausted and emotional. >> this is a relief. we're going to watch him a lot closer. >> reporter: but then, that night on tv, an odd turn. >> we did this for a show. >> you had said we did this for a show?

>> there were a lot of cameras out in front of our yard. >> reporter: even though dad jumped in, 6-year-old falcon was feeling the pressure. >> falcon? are you okay there? to the people who have been e-mailing us, and there's a lot of them saying things like, this story has publicity stunt written all over it. >> we were holding on to every second. you know? every second, just hoping that he was going to come out okay. and i mean, i'm not selling anything. >> reporter: but he was selling something. the entire event, a stunt, to drum up interest in a new reality show. >> you had it tethered. >> reporter: the two will be sentenced in a month. and they could face up to 90 days in jail. but it is still not over. the faa has actually launched a civil investigation because the balloon forced airplanes at the denver airport to switch runways, which means there still could be more charges to come.

chris? >> all right, lisa. thank you very much. and now, to the end of the world. the disaster movie "2012" is opening this week. it's expected to be a big blockbuster. and the premise is that the world will come to an end on december 21st, 2012. some people believe this could happen. and david wright went on his own indiana jones-type adventure to see if there's anything to it. >> the time counter predicts the end of the world to occur in 2012. >> reporter: the most intriguing thing about the movie "2012" is the number of people who really believe the ancient mayans predicted this. he's showing us an old missile silo in kansas. each unit, stocked with freeze-dried food to lost three years underground. the 2012 deadline comes from this ambiguous piece of mayan

hieroglyphics. >> it's basically saying the deity appears on december 21st of 2012. and he descends. and he performs a ritual. >> reporter: we traveled to mexico to find out more. deep in the rain forest, with the majestic lost city. one reason why 2012 seems to capture people's imagination, is the mystery of what happened to the maya themselves. why, 1,200 years ago, would the people who built these cities simply walk into the jungle and abandon them? among the 2012 seekers we met there. a canadian woman who communes with the spirits, using crystal skulls. >> i don't think we can say that there's going to be a magic button that on december 21st, 2012, bam, everything is going to be instantly transformed. we're in the process now. >> reporter: archaeologists told

us, whatever the mayans believed would happen in 2012, appears to be lost. should we be worried? >> i'm not worried. >> reporter: in two years' time, we'll find out, one way or the other. for "good morning america," david wright, abc news, mexico. >> and you can see more of david's report tonight on abc's "nightline" at 11:35 p.m., 10:35 central. now, to the master of the segue. sam champion, in port everglades, florida, waiting for the world's largest cruise ship to pull in. that's the whole empire state building thing. >> turn it sideways, floating. it's about this. but even not quite. we have a history on this show, of showing people the biggest things in the world. remember? we took you to the biggest rain forest. that was the amazon. got to run a little zip line there. chris took you to the top of the tallest building in the world. the burj dubai. and so many others.

now, this morning, we're going to give you the first glimpse of the biggest cruise ship in the world. as we've said, take the empire state building, turn it sideways, three football fields. we have to have a helicopter. miami wplg sky 10 had to come with us to show you this thing. it's longer than three football fields. it can fit as many people on radio city music hall on a packed night. that's about 6,000 people. it's about a mile away from us now. it will dock at the world's largest cruise ship terminal. it will come behind us into this inlet and go into the terminal that had to be rebuilt to accommodate it. we'll give you the first look onboard next week, only right here on "gma." it's the biggest getaway friday ever. that's next friday. let me show you something else. this thing was so large when it was built, that they had to collapse the smokestack. you probably saw this on news footage in a lot of different places. this was the ship they were talking about.

they had to collapse the smokestack as it went under the bridge in denmark, as it was built, to get out of the baltic sea and get all the way into the atlantic. quick look at the boards this morning. we'll show you what's going on. by the way, we do have that exiting nor'easter on the shoreline. all that weather was brought to you by daisy brand sour cream. and coming up this half hour, we'll show you the first look at "the oasis of the seas." when we come back after the break, here's the question. how could eating a taco chip cost a man his disability benefits? when we come back.

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all right. it is time for "gma" to get answers. we've all heard how insurance companies use video surveillance to catch people faking an injury in order to collect benefits. protect against fraud. but critics say they may go too far sometimes. videotaping people who are really disabled and using it against them, no matter how harmless the footage may seem. this morning, we're going to introduce you to a disabled man, who says he lost his benefits, in part, because he was caught on tape, eating a taco chip.

you're watching hidden camera video of a physically disabled man, who is doing nothing wrong. his name is jack rocky whitton. and this video was taken by a private eye, hired by his insurance company. here he is, seen reading a magazine. getting into a car. and dipping a taco chip into salsa. it may look innocuous enough. but that surveillance video helped cost rocky and his family dearly. >> i was worried if i would be able to take care of my kids and get them into college. that was pack 308. >> reporter: seven years ago, rocky had a well-paying job as manager of a walmart. happily married and healthy. then, an awful accident. rocky fell and broke his neck, which he had previously injured. doctors said he was permanently disabled. unable to ever return to work. >> disabled? i'm absolutely sure.

this man has tried everything he could to get back to work. >> my vision the affected by all the medicine i take. i have severe headaches. i have problems with short-term memory now. >> reporter: luckily, rocky planned ahead. ten years ago, he bought a disability insurance company with the hartford sin shurns company, which promised to pay him 60% of his salary, if he became disabled. so, he filed a claim and in 2003, began receiving benefits. but last year, a hartford man paid a visit to rocky and his wife. >> he started asking questions, about his limitations. >> reporter: then, he dropped a bombshell on rocky. this videotape taken of the couple. taken by a private investigator. the tape puzzled the couple. >> had rocky getting out of the van. followed us in the bookstore. rocky looking at a magazine.

you know, he was eating chip and dip. like salsa and chips. >> reporter: sure enough, soon after the hartford rep's visit, rocky got a letter from the hartford. it said their videotape showed he had, no difficult dipping chips at a restaurant. and that he could shop, reach, bend, enter and exit a vehicle. it said, a doctor hired by the hartford, who never met rocky, said medical records and the surveillance video showed he was physically capable of performing full-time, sedentary occupations. and although three of rocky's treating doctors and the social security administration said rocky was permanently disabled, the hartford cut off rocky's benefits, leaving the family in financial crisis. >> i mean, they found the least little thing that makes no sense. he has to eat. i mean, a chip weighs nothing. >> reporter: rocky's doctor says the type of activity shown on the videotape isn't relevant to

determining whether he can go back to work. >> eating a taco means nothing. we know he can eat. his hands work. this is not about -- if there's a job eating tacos, he may be able to do that. i don't know if that's employment. >> reporter: rocky's lawyer says the hartford uses video surveillance to giving up and not pursuing claims. >> they suggest fraud and it scares claimants. >> reporter: the hartford sent us this statement. saying, the overarching mission is always has been to ensure people receive the benefits they are intit 8d. and that they handled rocky's disability claim fairly. they say they use surveillance to lessen fraud. and that surveillance, along with other factors, only ends in the cutting off of their clients' disability insurance, 30% of the time. but abc news has learned there's been over a dozen cases where federal courts ruled the hartford, improperly over emphasized their surveillance

video in cutting off benefits. the hartford said these cases don't fairly or accurately represent the company's strong record. rocky and his lawyer lost their appeal to the hartford and were getting ready to go to court. but eight days after we called the hartford about rocky's case, they reinstated his benefits. and sent this check for $45,000, for past benefits. the company says that's because of new information provided by rocky's lawyer, before we called them. whatever the reason, it's the end of a painful chapter in rocky's life. >> they don't care what you lose. they don't care that your reputation's in the gutter. they don't care. take your time. >> you didn't know that you could tell so much from a taco chip, did you? you didn't know. now, you know. rocky's family's back up on their feet. that's the good news.

his lawyer says they're considering a class-action suit against the hartford because they believe there's more of this going on. the big point we want to make is, the way we found out about rocky and his situation is because he came to us. that's why we tell you to please, come and tell us your stories. i was telling you that this morning. go to abcnews.com. find the website. find my face. just click on it. and you tell us the stories that you're hearing about there. maybe something happens. maybe it doesn't. we'll try our best. i promise you that. 48 minutes past the hour. we're going to break. and husband number two! (announcer) the #1 prescribed acid reducer brand over the last decade is now over-the-counter to treat frequent heartburn a full 24 hours. prevacid®24hr. when you've had it with heartburn. - is she awake? - just fell asleep. why are you up? it's 2:00 a.m. - it's not just 2:00 a.m.

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still to come this morning, the future of family planning. why more and more single women are freezing their eggs now, so they can have children later. we'll take you inside the lab to show you how they're doing it. and we have one we're talking about all morning. cat ladies. why are there women who fill their homes with dozens and dozens of cats. >> not just women. >> that's the story. you'll have to watch. >> okay. if you want to access 10 gigs of music you just downloaded to your hard drive, push here. and if you want to pull away from it all, you can push here. the all-new-40-gig hard drive nav and entertainment system on the 2010 lacrosse. from buick. it's the new class of world class. from buick. sharing, it's what kids do. but every year an average of four million kids get the flu and miss out on sharing.

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good morning. i'm meteorologist susan. things are looking dreary for thus morning. temperatures in the low 50s. chilly out there. east shore getting a little bit of rain. most of us have not seen too much rain around the region this morning. just very small patchy areas here. the big storm is just off the coast. it is staying there. soon it will be moving out towards the middle of the atlantic ocean.

we won't be seeing a whole lot out of it once tonight is over. we have clearing on the way. that's very good new. everyone is getting tire to have had dreariness and the cloud cover. what we are look for today. about 48 degrees by noon. little bit of drizzle and rain around. then this afternoon we are also seeing breezy conditions. high of 51 degrees. let's check out the roads now. here's kim. >> thank you. traffic is moving about really nicely here on the westside of the outer loop. you can see traffic is zipping by at liberty route towards route 70 and the baltimore national pike. on the east side it is running slower at providence road. northbound lanes of the bw parkway and beltway earlier accident has been cleared off into the shoulde . we have all serious crash hartford county. route 7 at clayton road remains closed in both directions because of the crash with downed power lines in the intersection. baltimore northbound lanes of jfx crash there.

another one at lake avenue. a crash coming in at hilton parkway and north avenue this morning. as we peak at the jfx traffic is heavy and steady southbound. what's our favorite part of honey bunches of oats? the sparkly flakes. the honey-baked bunches! the magic's in the mix. my favorite part? eating it. honey bunches of oats. taste the joy we put in every spoonful. we call the bunches in honey bunches of oats the prize in the box. well, now there's a prize inside the prize. pecans! pecans! baked into crunchy oat bunches. taste the delicious surprise in every spoonful. new honey bunches of oats with pecan bunches. beautiful.

"good morning america" continues with beating the lie logical clock. we go inside the lab to see how more and more women wanting children, not now, but later, are finding hope for the future. cat ladies. women fill their homes with dozens of them. but why? we go behind closed doors to meet this mysterious breed. plus, why you need to start your holiday shopping now. would you believe, toys for less than $2. we'll tell you where to find the deepest discounts. good morning, everybody. chris cuomo, robin roberts,

diane's off today. it's friday, november 13th, 2009. >> tgif. >> yes. >> we have made it to friday. marisa tomei. she won the oscar for "my cousin vinny." my biological clock is ticking. it is a concern for women, ticking down of the biological clock. we'll look at a growing trend, among single career women, who want to have children later. freezing their eggs now. what are the risks to future babies? >> breaking science. we were talking earlier, not just women, but also men, who are cat people. have lots of cats. problem is, not so much in the story you're going to see this morning. women, why they have lots of cats. not one cat. not, ooh, i like cats. is it a replacement for a level of intimacy? that's what the story gets into it. >> ah. >> no men in the story, so i hear. >> that's the word on the street.

bianna golodryga, cat lover that she is. >> we're all cat lovers up here. >> sure. >> good morning, everyone. five deaths are being blamed on the remnants of tropical storm, ida, which is causing flooding of coastal areas and shore erosion. leaving thousands without power. this morning, the coast guard has called off the search for three, missing fishermen, whose boat sank in the rough seas. sam, of course, will have more on the storm's track in a moment. meanwhile, the accused mastermind of the september 11th attacks will soon get his day in court in new york. the justice department has decided to try khalid shaikh mohammed and other detainees in court. president obama said he's convinced mohammed will be subject, of course, to the exacting demands of justice. the man convicted of beating arkansas tv anchor, anne pressly, to death, will not face the death penalty. instead, a jury has sentenced

curtis vance to life in prison without the possibility of parole. they deliberated for three hours, after hearing testimony about his childhood and his abusive, drug-addicted mother. about the controversy fees that banks charge when you use your bank card and overdraw from your own account. the federal reserve has passed a new rule, banning banks from charging the overdraft fees, unless customers choose specifically overdraft coverage. some banks have been charging up to $35 every time a customer overdraws. the new rule goes into effect in july. there's a new study this morning that shows women are making progress, but still have a long way to go when it comes to equality in the workplace. the report from the white house project, reveals a glaring reality. women now make up 51% of the total workforce. but hold only 18% of the top leadership positions. >> women's leadership is stuck, in every sector of american society. >> reporter: among fortune 500

companies, only 3% have female ceos, and only 13% have female board members. in government, women only account for 17% of congress. and in the history of american film, a woman has never won an oscar for best director. and these figures take on a greater impact when you consider the bottom line. a recent study at pepperdine university, shows that companies that do actively promote women, report 34% higher profits. >> we have search that says, if you can get the third-women in the top leadership, you can make the changes. >> reporter: an example, internet giant, google, that made seeking out female engineers, like melissa myer, a founding principle of the company. >> they said, you're going to be an engineer. turns out the companies are healthier. there's better collaboration. there's better communication, when there's women. >> and there's yet another shocking statistic when it comes

to landownership. the study found that women only own 1% of the world's property. that is pretty shocking. and finally, do you recognize this tune? ♪ it's from the old "people's court." and the man who ruled that court, we remember him. judge joe wapner, has been honored with a star on hollywood's walk of fame. just in time for his 90th birthday. didn't we all love that show? now, we go to weather with sam champion. sam? do you remember judge wapner? >> i do. a little bit. i do -- i got it. i remember. bianna, look right over my shoulder. >> beautiful. >> i cannot believe the timing worked out this way. it has been flawless. and when i show you what we're talking about, you'll understand how difficult it was towork. it could not have arrived until it rebuilt the place it was going, and dredged out the entire area here. this thing is so large.

we've been telling you, take the empire state building, turn it on its side, float it. call it a hotel vacation spot. that's what tt the oasis of 2 seas" is. they have seven, different neighborhoods, it's so long. they have a park, that's as big as a football field inside, with 12,000 plants and trees. you'll be able to sit out in the park, open-sky, over the caribbean. now, we'll take you inside next week. this is your first, exclusive look outside. but next week, it's "gma's" biggest getaway ever. to prove that we've been carefully planning this, i have captain wright on the speakerphone with me. captain, good morning. can you hear me? >> good morning, sam. i can hear you loud and clear. >> captain, i know you had to train very carefully on simulations to get this thing into ports like this. how's it going so far? >> it's going great. this ship is absolutely amazing. from maneuvering perspective, she is one of the easiest in our fleet to maneuver.

we have so much power. she's a dream to handle. we'll really excited about being here. and her home port. you wanted to see her. at 8:00 in the morning. we're -- >> captain, just to prove. hang on a second, captain. just to prove we're actually talking to you live, give me a blast of the horning right now. give me one. >> i'll give you three blasts of the horn. >> okay. [ horn ] >> that is i hope we

i hope we captured this on for you because this is so amazing. robin, it is huge. >> we can see it, sam. and that was very cool to see you talking with the captain like that. we're like, stop talking to him. he's busy. let him steer the ship. good times. i know you're going to have fun there next week for us there, sam, as well. sam's ship has come in. we'll get back to sam in just -- i couldn't resist. we'll get back a little bit later. by the time a woman is in her late 30s or early 40s, the quality of her eggs declines. and so does her chance of getting pregnant. the technology to please a woman's eggs has been around for more than 20 years. available in this country for at least five. for a long time, most women took such extreme measures, when they were cancer patients when they did that, in danger of losing their fertility during

treatment. now, all that is changing. kate is back with more on that. >> reporter: just to be clear. we're talking about frozen eggs. not fertilized embryos here. it is not that common to have a baby born from a frozen egg. researchers think there may be just under 1,000 babies born that way in the entire world. one-third may be born here in the u.s. but for women desperate to be mothers, watching their fertile years slip away and still searching for someone to start a family with, freezing their eggs seems like the perfect solution. 38-year-old melissa brooks says she hears her biological clock ticking, very loudly. she is divorced and single, with no special guy in her life right now. so, today, she's flown from dallas to denver, to take one step closer to the family she's dreaming about. she's being prepped to have her eggs harvested. >> okay. nothing to eat or drink this morning? >> i want to be able to have a biological child, with the man that i marry. >> reporter: the founder of the clinic says melissa is part of a

trend he can't help but notice. the majority of his patients now are single women, choosing to freeze their eggs before the quality declines. >> most of the patients are in their mid to late 30s. they recognize they're not going to have babies still for several years. and they really want to maintain their eggs at the youngest possible stage. >> i'm terrified of not being able to be a mother. but i would like to be a mother with a father and have a traditional family. and i think this allows me to be able to do that, hopefully. >> reporter: egg freezing is happening at as many as 50 fertility clinics across the u.s. these are eggs from women? >> eggs and embryos. >> reporter: at new york university, dr. nicole noyz, has been doing it for six years, and helped more than 300 women. here's how it works, after they ek tract eggs from a woman, they analyze them. can you tell this egg can't possibly ever be a baby? >> no. but you can tell that it's a mature egg. meaning it's at the right stage to be frozen.

the heartiest stage to be frozen and thawed. >> reporter: the eggs on this screen in reality are the size of a pencil point. and the most difficult part of the process, they have to be dehydrated, using a specific process. >> we put a soda can in the freezer, it explodes. things are ruined. this is a straw, what we store the eggs in. >> reporter: inside that? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: the straws full of eggs go into a vat of liquid nitrogen. do you know how long you can keep an egg in that tank? >> we don't. but probably decades, if not century, honestly. >> reporter: of course, no woman would save them that long. most are used within a few years. >> here we go. >> reporter: 2-year-old hayden is the first baby in colorado to be born from a frozen egg. his parents, caroline and greg henzle, were part of a trial, testing the technology. >> there's a risk. however, the process we went

through, didn't indicate there should be any reason to worry that the way he was conceived would make a difference. in either his health or the pregnancy or anything else. >> reporter: egg freezing is considered an experimental treatment by the american society of reproductive medicine. and there are some health risks for the mother. mainly, side effects from the fertility medications. but studies have shown that the babies born from frozen eggs are just as healthy as other children. >> cheers. >> cheers. >> he's peaceful. he's insightful. he's thoughtful. he gives us an entirely new way to look at life. >> reporter: and it is giving women like melissa, hope for the future. >> it makes me so happy. it's changed my life. i don't worry about it now because i know this is here. and i know that when it's time, and when it's right, it will happen. and we should say, it's not guaranteed to happen. dr. noyse tells her patients,

they have about 50% chance of getting pregnant. since a typical woman freezes 13 or 14 eggs, you might be able to get a whole family out of that. and it's not cheap. about $10,000. for a lot of women, this is empowering. for so long, men have been able to wait until later in life. and melissa also told us, she really wants to wait and be with a husband and have a whole family. but if she can't find the guy, she might do it on her own. >> kate, thank you for bringing this to our attention. appreciate that. for more on the story, head to our website at abcnews.com. next, we go inside the secret world of cat ladies. next, we go inside the secret world of cat ladies. we'll explain, next. r and whole grain... mini has me making him a great contender in this bout... against mid-morning hunger. honey nut cheerios is coming in a little short. you've got more whole grain in your little finger! let's get ready for breakfaaaaaaaaaast! ( ding, cheering, ringing ) keeping you full and focused with more than double the fiber and whole grain...

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as a va doctor, i have more time to spend with my patients. and that's the kind of attention our veterans deserve. ♪ (announcer) learn more about careers with today's va at vacareers.va.gov. while i was building my friendships, my family, while i was building my life, my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why my doctor prescribed crestor. she said plaque buildup in arteries is a real reason to lower cholesterol. and that along with diet, crestor does more than lower bad cholesterol, it raises good. crestor is also proven to slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. crestor isn't for everyone, like people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems.

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self-professed cat ladies. her film shows women with the struggle connection to cats. if you listen to them talk about their lives, you soon realize they suffer from many of the same fears and frustrations we all feel. and they feel the only way to cope is with cats. lots and lots of cats. my name's jenny. i'm a cat lady. and i have 16 of them. >> reporter: jenny, a successful real estate broker talks openly about what is missing in her life. >> i was thinking i would be happy with congugal visits at this point. i would keep the cats out of the room. >> reporter: she knows her 16 feline friends aren't making it easier for her to find a man. >> i think i'm a great catch. and it's kind of depressing that no one else has seen that. but then again, i have the cats

as an excuse. i'm fine. don't worry. i'm not on medicine or anything like that, anymore. >> she wants what many women want. a husband, a kid. what have you. >> reporter: she knows that cats are off-putting. why does she hang on to them? >> because of a safety net. it protects her from getting hurt. now, she's protects herself with a wall of cats. >> evil kitty. i don't see anything wrong with being a cat lady and having 16 cats. i'm not hurting anybody. i'm defective. but not in a bad way. >> when do you cross the line from being a cat lady to being a crazy cat lady? >> when you are no longer taking care of yourself. >> three. four. five. my name is deanne. used to be a business person. now, i'm a cat lady. 78. 79. 99.

100. oh, yeah. 116. 123. unbelievable. yeah. >> reporter: deanne rescues abandoned cats. but she is filled with doubt and a longing for the life she left behind. >> this is my former life here. heels, everything. briefcase. rush, rush. looking good. i worked 40 years for a bank. i had fun. i traveled the world. >> reporter: the pictures you show of her in her earlier life are, she's glamorous and beautiful and successful, with friends. i mean, what happened to her? >> she just went overboard, right off the top. >> reporter: each week, deanne goes through 400 pounds of food. and 100 pounds of cat litter. >> my monthly expenses, i would including litter, dry food, wet food, $3,000.

i mean, until i retired, i had just a small amount of cats. and after that, i went crazy. and it's not good. it saves the cats. but it doesn't save me. >> doesn't save her. and, chris, i know you and robin have been debating this all morning. this is a uniquely female thing. 99% of cat people, cat collectors, cat hoarders, whatever you want to call them, are women, not men. >> this is clearly more than cat fancy. there's something going on that keeps them from separating. >> they're isolated and lonely. that's the one common denominator. and deanne, who is ambivalent, who wants to get rid of the cats in a big way. i said, why don't pick up the phone and call the humane society? because the humane society would undoubtedly put the cats to sleep. >> elizabeth, thank you very much. there's more to be seen here. you can see it tonight, on "20/20," at 10:00, 9:00 central.

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honestly simple. try all of our delicious juices and juice drinks. good morning everyone. we have coastal issues to talk about this morning today. we have coastal flood advisory. those are all the counties in the blue. coastal flood warnings are in the green. and the gail warn manage the purple. be aware of that. it lasts until late this evening. temperatures right now are 52 in baltimore. that's about where we top out today. so be prepared for another chilly one. and rain here and there as well. remains of the storm are in the atlantic ocean. it's not moving anywhere any time soon. but we should start to clear

out as early as tomorrow afternoon. in the meantime today, expect rainy, wind i did and wet conditions. check out the roads. >> thank you. well, traffic is flowing very nicely this morning all around the outer loop. here on the east side, just a little bit of volume causing a slight slow down, but no problems to let you know on the topside. we are getting reports of a crash on the inner loop. that's 295. no word of lane closiers there. we have a serious crash that continues to block route 7 in both directions at clayton road. try using 95 as an alternate. route 175 in howard county, a crash report there had. and two crash on the scene in baltimore. and another crash coming in at hillton parkway. as we take a peek at russell and lee, no problems to let you know about. just heavy traffic. we'll be back with the morning news update next.

good friday morning. the local headlines this morning. the man suspect of raping and fatally stabbing a 15-year-old boy is now mind bars this morning. officers took him into custody last night in east baltimore. police had been searching for him in connection with the death of jason madison jr. the teen's body was found hid lightning a closet. the mayor will be back in court this morning and the fist witness expected to take the

stand is a man who allegedly bought some gift cards in question. he works for a construction company owned by the mayor's ex- boyfriend. prosecutors say he bought the gift cards and delivered them to aned a. during opening statement, prosecutors showed the jury pictures of receipts from purchases they say she made using the gift cards intended for poor family ms. the city. the attorney argues that she thought they were supposed to be gifts. >> we said what we thought during our opening statements. and i'm sure everyone was listening. >> the judge released a list of 72 potential witnesses. some are big names including the congressman and the reverend frank reed which is the church that the mayor attends. and you can bet that we will be in trail every single day covering this story here. beginning at 5:00, a live

report at 9:00. more information in the courtroom. and remember, when we're not on air, you can catch us online. national recognition for the university of maryland this time an honor goes to a leader. we're talking about this guy you see right here. he is a great man, named america's top ten college presidents. that's all the time we have this morning. we're going to send you back to good morning america. rorgrg ♪ sail

♪ sail away, sail away ♪ the world's largest cruise ship. the magnificent "oasis of the seas." and she's been making the journey all the way from finland to florida, so that we can take you on board for an exclusive tour. we're calling "gma's" biggest getaway. it happens a week from today, next friday, november 20th. a first-class ticket that will take your breath away. i can't get over when it was coming in and sam was talking to the captain. >> you need a bigger word. that ship is huge. that ship is huge. but it's not really getting it done. i mean, just look at the size of it. >> he said like the empire state building, if you tipped it over.

that's its. we'll have more coming up. we say good morning, america, on this friday morning. robin roberts here with chris cuomo, and bianna golodryga. >> how are you? so, the holidays are coming. but it's a little early. this is the right time to start shopping because the stores are already slashing prices, on all types of great gifts, toys to clothes. we're going to tell you where you can find your rock-bottom holiday deals. plus, the most-feared creature of the sea. that's a great white shark. we'll show you how scientists are undertaking unprecedented and dangerous research effort to save their dwindling numbers. let's go back to sam. he's there in florida. he's got the weather. but he's also getting a head start on "gma's" biggest getaway. you are coming back, sam. you're not staying there for the whole week, are you? >> i don't know, robin. it's so big, i don't think you can see it in just a few days. i really think to do justice to this story, i'll need to have

seen the whole ship. >> nice try. >> all right. i'll be back on monday. take a look at this thing. i can't stop looking at it. it is huge, sparkling, and beautiful. it was a big deal for port everglades. all these people were coming in to see it at the same time. they had to widen everything out. and rebuild the terminal. every place it goes in the country, they'll have to do that. roseanne martinez, pat glover, tammy bell, and their friends are with us this morning. i'm going to squeeze beside you, pat. we've been seeing a lot of contest winners that will win a chance to take a cruise with us. next week is next week. pat, i know you like wplg. it's my favorite station in miami. >> it's definitely mine. >> that's how you got the trip. >> that's right. >> this thing is so huge. you'll be on it three days. will you get a chance to see the whole thing? >> i don't know. but i'll try my best. >> we'll spell each other. we'll bring food and drink and keep walking until we see the

whole thing. let's get to the weather. we didn't see the maps last half hour. let's do it this half hour. this is the best news for the mid-atlantic and the eastern seaboard. it's been a rough two days with the nor'easter. it breaks away from the coastline, starting today. that's good news. tammy, you're down at the end of the line. but i don't want to leave you out. robin? chris? >> good times, chris, sam, for you, too. hard to believe, christmas less than six weeks away. retailers are struggling, computing for consumer dollars,

earlier than ever. now may be the best time to start shopping. "gma" financial contributor, mellody hobson, told us about the retail trends earlier this morning. she is back, telling us where to find holiday deals right now. time is of the essence. last year, was really bad for retailers. what about this year? >> last year, we were in the mymy middle of a full-blown financial crisis. it was one of the worst christmases in years. this year, sales are expected to be down about 1%. but certainly, not as bad as we saw last year. it's not going to be great. but it will be, again, less bad, just like i was talking about earlier. and that 1% is $4 billion. so, we're talking about real money. so, the retailers are early and often. sales, sales, sales. to try to get consumers into the store to buy. >> you're going to give us some information because there's some great bargains out there, beginning with books. >> it is unbelievable. i have to warn you, i'm going to

channel my dream of being on "price is right" this morning with the reveals of these prices. walmart has thrown this first salvo out. they said they want people to buy books from them. they're putting the biggest titles on sale. everyone from john grisham, to the much-talked about sarah palin book. for the very low price of $9. $9. and walmart and target say, we have to match it to be in the game. if you have book sellers on your list this, is a bonanza. >> let's stay with walmart. what else there? >> walmart also says, one of the places we want people to come for toys and dvds because those are great stocking stuffers and great gifts. toys and dvds. $10. $10. now, they're going to have 100 different toys for under $10. now, that's versus last year,

where they only had ten toys under $10. >> that's a huge difference. sometimes they get you in the door and there's that one toy. speaking of toys, toys "r" us. >> christmas is everything for toys "r" us. it's make or break time. they're saying, we're going to have low-price toys, too. but also $10. but instead of 100 toys, 6,000 items. >> 6,000 items. >> 6,000 items. candyland is $1.99. this is cheaper than a hamburger. really, unbelievable prices. but discounts on bikes. discounts on electronics. all sorts of things. >> name-brand items. okay. target, that's a big place. >> target is known for the fancy designers that design for them. so, they're saying, $15 for gifts. $25 for designer clothing items. and so, they're really trying to

make it so you get in there. >> you're not as impressed. $1.99. but that still is a bargain. >> yes. >> absolute bargain. old navy. i do shopping for my nieces for the holidays. >> old navy, it's all about outerwear. they're saying that's what they want you to come in for for coats. i myself got a fleece jacket. a down jacket, i'm sorry. the discount is 50%. 50%. >> 50% off? >> 50% off on outerwear. 50% for a coat. when you live in chicago, you get a coat for christmas. this is a great thing. >> online shopping again can help you. >> you don't spend money on gas. shipping is usually free. even if you're planning to go to the store, go online. sometimes you can print out coupons. and it helps you comparative shop. >> and stick to a budget? >> don't spend money you'll be paying for years.

don't get the store credit card. it's the highest interest rate card you can buy. i don't care about the discount. don't do it. look for tax holidays. a lot of communities are trying to get people to buy more. they're going to waive the taxes for a day or two. look out for those, too. >> mellody, thank you so much. what does our audience say? they improve. they improve. i love you guys. i love you. you can get all these tips and more on abcnews.com. have a wonderful weekend, mellody. so what comes to mind when we

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14 and now, we want to take you on a sea voyage, to find out about one of the planet's most fascinating animals, the great white shark. there's still a lot we don't know about the world's largest

predatory fish. but that's all about to change, thanks to a fisherman and researcher, whose adventures you can see every week, when we have a special broadcast by the national geographic channel. here's a sneak peek. this team of experts is tracking great white sharks deep into the pacific ocean, to this place, called s.o.f.a., short for shared offshore feeding area. why the sharks return to this area is unknown. the crews tag the sharks to find out where they're born, where they mate, and where they migrate. >> to watch the shark. bring them onboard and bolt this to their dorsal fin. >> reporter: watch as a small boat, gets a shark on the line. >> we're going to tire it out. and put it in a sling. >> reporter: they devised a some of four mixed buoys, with hundreds of pounds of drag, wearing down the fighting fish. once they steer the shark into a

cradle against the mother ship, the crew is in a race against the clock. if they don't get her back to the water in less than 20 minutes, she might die. >> out of the water eight minutes so far. >> reporter: they attach the tracking device to the dorsal fin. its position will be transmitted in real-time, for up to six years. as the great whites are released, a trail of clues begins. and joining us now is chris fisher. he's the executive producer and leader of expedition great white, which airs monday night on the national geographic channel. welcome. what's that around your neck? >> this is the largest hook to capture fish. this is not a gag. this is what we've used. and the fish are so powerful, they've broken two of these in half and straightened two of them. >> i want to talk about where the fish go. it's very interesting. there's a few handful of places they go in the world. what is interesting about this island?

why do they go there? >> in the past, people thought the sites, in australia, new zealand, and guadeloupe island, not far from san diego, people thought they were there to breed. people thought they were there to feed. what we're starting to learn is they're actually there to breed. it's important to understand where they breed, where they feed and where they give birth, so we can put together a management plan to look after them long-term. >> why is it that we know so little about the great white? >> no one has been able to handle live, mature specimens of this size, and deliver them to the science community, to have tags to draw blood, take dna samples and let them go alive. we're the first team who created a system to deliver the giants to the genius. the beast to the brain, so to speak. >> we have seen video of what happens when you pull them on the platform. is it as dangerous as it looks? >> it's not as bad as it looks. white sharks have bones like a skate. they're soft like cartilage. when they experience gravity for the first time, they can hardly

move themselves. they have kicked people and knocked them off. but i liken it to jabba the hut. they're so big, when in gravity, they can't hardly move themselves. >> it's mind-boggling. we were looking at the image of the shark behind us. you said that's nothing compared to the ones you've seen. >> we'll see the biggest fish caught and released alive. ever, on the show, is kimmel. a full-grown female. 16 feet, 7 inches long. weighed just under 5,000 pounds. right now, she is rewriting white shark science. she's beaming in most days. she is where everyone expected her not to be. >> and timing is of the essence here. we know only the few minutes they're on the platform. what goes through your mind? >> when you're in the middle of it, the only thing going through your mind is let's look after the shark. we have to get the shark back in the water in good shape. if it doesn't swim away, we can't collect the data we need to solve the puzzle. people are keeping water in their mouths. people working on the tag.

we're drawing blood samples and dna samples. one of the most amazing things that doc would say we've been able to pull off is, we have several mail sharks that had sperm in their clasper fins, which is direct data to prove where and when they're breeding. >> and your ultimate goal is to follow them and get more data to make sure they can live longer than we're seeing now. they're close to becoming extinct, as we know. this is great research you've been doing. i'm sure your mom is excited when she sees that video. >> yeah. >> that's jaw-dropping. you can see the expedition great white, on monday on the national geographic channel. thanks for joining u boss:hey, glad i caught you. i was on my way to present ideas

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i'm surrounded by fans of mr. frank bedor. he's done it all. world-champion skier. actor, stuntman. produced the hit film, "there's something about mary."

now, "new york times'" best-selling author of a trilogy, "the looking glass war." >> thanks for having me, chris. >> this is a big deal. it's developing a culture. could you have ever imagined? >> i couldn't have. it all started with a trip to london. i had a half hour to kill. i went to the british museum and it changed my life. >> how so? >> i came up on an exhibit of cards. ancient playing cards. what caught my attention was the incomplete deck of cards. they had hand-painted images, that reminded me of lewis carol's fairy tale. that fascination led to an antiquity s dealer, who claimed he had the cards to the incomplete deck. and told a far different story than lewis carol would have us believe. >> you're saying it's a deck of cards that were incomplete. >> and they're in this books. >> how did you know? >> before you open this books, i

have to give you a word of warning. >> please. >> this is not a fairy tale. this box is 150 years old. >> wow. >> you can see this map. and it tells the story, the true story of alice from wonderland. princess alice hart was enjoying her 7th birthday. when there was a coupe. her bodyguard whisked her to safety through the pool of tears. it's the portal that connects us to wonderland. and then, alice shoots out of a puddle and ends up in oxford. and she meets lewis carol, who wants to write a book at her story. but the guy gets it all wrong. >> are you in rapt attention right now? is that why you're quiet? or is that i warned you not to talk during the interview? it's very interesting. it looks like "alice in wonderland." but you say this is the true story. and you adapt it throughout the course of the books. >> that's true.

it was based on the stories. the cards inspired the entire series. so, i've written a trilogy of prose and graphic novels. the novels follow the bodyguard, who was lost in paris. and he goes on an epic quest to reunite with alice. alice is in england, growing up. he finds her and returns her to wonderland. >> it's a great concept of the surrender of imagination. you're trying to reach out to kids. there's interactivity. you've created a taylor to let them understand what's going on. >> well, what happens is, i go to schools. and i stand in front of 500 kids. you know, you're on television. so, it's not a big deal. me, standing in front of 500 kids, petrifying. i want to entertain them. first thing i do, is to show them a special effects triler. to get them interested and build their excitement. >> and one of the fans. say your name. >> charlie. >> thank you very much. that's enough. he does a claymation thing. and you do a collaboration.

>> i went to the school. and as a school project, they said do a trailer. he did this amazing trailer. so, i hired him to do a trailer for my new graphic novel. it's all in claymation. lit will premiere on my website, a week from today. he did storyboards. he sent the correspondence to his english teacher. >> it's amazing to watch a book become part of culture. now, you're in the movie business, many different ways. are we going to see some of this on the big screen? >> i'm working with the producer of "the dark knight," chuck roven. we're putting it together. it's a visual type of world. we'll see. i'm trying to get my neighbor, angelina jolie to play -- >> i heard. it helps that she's you're neighbor. best of luck to that. mr. beddor, thank you very much. i know we're excited about

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let's say good-bye to sam.

there in florida. gave us a preview of a glorious ship. >> thank you, sam. >> we cannot wait until next week. come home in the meantime, sam. you can go back on friday. >> next week, right? teeing it up for you. they're going to be aboard the largest cruise ship. sam will be there. "gma's" biggest getaway ever. also, exclusive interviews. sarah palin. janet jackson. got to see that. >> have a great weekend, everybody. thanks for being with us this week.

. good morning. we have coastal issues to talk about in the remains of flooding there. we have coastal flood warnings. those are the counties in the green and in the turquoise colors flood advisories. we're looking at tides two to 3 feet above normal on the west side of the bay. temperature-wise, we're going to stay on the chilly side, 52 in baltimore right now 52 in york, pennsylvania. this is where we're going to stay for the most part through the day. and we have activity that is starting to build up. it died down a little bit in the overnight hours and now we're starting to see the waves of rain and the rain bands starting to develop and come ashore and that will continue to be the case for us today. so we're looking at cool, rainy, windy conditions today and things get a little better as we head into the latter half of the day tomorrow. all the delays, the few that we have on the beltway

have pretty much cleared out. no problems or issues working on the outer loop this morning. but we have a couple of problems working northbound on the bw parkway. you'll see minor delays between route 100 the beltway. in route 7 it remains closed in both directions with downed power lines. in perryville, route 7 and old philadelphia road closed because of debris in the road way. and we're getting word of a crash on the baltimore parkway. and the jfx, traffic is moving about -- heavy and steady. we'll be back with more good morning, maryland next. getting dirty

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